The healthcare industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by telemedicine, real-time diagnostics, smart hospitals, and access to digital therapies, and the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), robotics, and data management practices. In the last three years alone, there have been over 106,000 patents filed and granted in the healthcare industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Robotics in Healthcare: Automated biochemistry analyzers. 

However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity. 

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have. 

200+ innovations will shape the healthcare industry 

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the healthcare industry using innovation intensity models built on over 443,000 patents, there are 200+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry. 

Within the emerging innovation stage, microfluidic devices, static computer-aided implant surgery (s-CAIS), and digital pathology guided robotic surgery are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Interactive exercise system, computer-aided dental prostheses, and automated genetic screening are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas is the automated drug dispensing systems, which is now well established in the industry.  

Innovation S-curve for robotics in the healthcare industry 

Automated biochemistry analyser is a key innovation area in robotics 

Fully automated biochemistry analysers are small, simple, and dependable instruments that can run tests on whole blood, serum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, or urine samples to assess the concentration of proteins, enzymes, electrolytes, metabolites, and even medications in the provided urine, blood, serum, plasma, or other body fluid samples.  

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of automated biochemistry analysers. 

Key players in automated biochemistry analysers – a disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators. 

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’. 

Patent volumes related to automated biochemistry analysers

Company Total patents (2010 - 2021) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
F. Hoffmann-La Roche 187 Unlock company profile
Sysmex 152 Unlock company profile
Abbott Laboratories 96 Unlock company profile
Hitachi 89 Unlock company profile
Danaher 77 Unlock company profile
Labrador Diagnostics 72 Unlock company profile
Agilent Technologies 67 Unlock company profile
Caris MPI 42 Unlock company profile
Meso Scale Technologies 37 Unlock company profile
Koninklijke Philips 34 Unlock company profile
Siemens 31 Unlock company profile
Becton Dickinson and Co 30 Unlock company profile
Fujifilm Holdings 22 Unlock company profile
Inpeco Holding 22 Unlock company profile
Meso Scale Diagnostics 18 Unlock company profile
C. H. Boehringer Sohn 16 Unlock company profile
Thermo Fisher Scientific 15 Unlock company profile
Fio 14 Unlock company profile
Shimadzu 12 Unlock company profile
Bio-Rad Laboratories 12 Unlock company profile
DNAnudge 11 Unlock company profile
Hewlett Packard Enterprise 11 Unlock company profile
Elemental Scientific 10 Unlock company profile
Techno Medica 10 Unlock company profile
BioRad Laboratories 9 Unlock company profile
Laboratory Corp of America Holdings 8 Unlock company profile
Leavitt Medical 8 Unlock company profile
GE Healthcare 8 Unlock company profile
Toshiba 7 Unlock company profile
Johnson & Johnson 7 Unlock company profile
SYMAX 6 Unlock company profile
Yaskawa Electric 6 Unlock company profile
Alere Scarborough 6 Unlock company profile
Ems Pathology Medical Solutions 6 Unlock company profile
Mycenax Biotech 5 Unlock company profile
Essenlix 5 Unlock company profile
Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics 5 Unlock company profile
AT&T 5 Unlock company profile
Eppendorf 5 Unlock company profile
Nippon Chemi-Con 5 Unlock company profile
Boditech Med 5 Unlock company profile
Quidel 5 Unlock company profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Sysmex are the leading patent filers in the robotics automated biochemistry analysers. Some other leading patent filers include Abbott Laboratories and Hitachi. 

In terms of application diversity, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Alere Scarborough are leading patent filers, followed by Abbott Laboratories. With regards to geographic reach, DNAnudge, Fio and Agilent Technologies are the leading companies. 

Robotic automated biochemistry analysers can be cost effective, time saving, reliable and productive means of carrying out diagnosis. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Healthcare. 

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.